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The biggest alumni event of the School of Business, Homecoming Day, was held on Friday 31 January 2025 at Aalto University's Otaniemi campus. The event attracted about 450 invited guests, School of Business alumni and Master's students. The programme included interesting discussions on topical issues and happy encounters between fellow alumni and friends. The day was hosted by the Dean of the School of Business, Timo Korkeamäki.

Elina Valtonen spoke about how, when she was a student 20 years ago, there had been a lot of optimism in the air. There was a belief that we would continue to live in a time of peace. She spoke about AI, NATO, Greenland, and her visit to Kiev. ‘Ukrainians deserve peace, the war must end. The most heartbreaking thing for me has been to see the Ukrainian children’s suffering and sorrow. Finland must continue to support Ukraine. Democracy and freedom belong to everyone.’

‘We need to invest more in a functioning market economy. We need strategic competitiveness, and this will never be achieved in isolation. Tariffs should not be imposed on allies, on the contrary. The West has never been as united as it is today. New members are constantly willing to join the EU and NATO. Both the economy and society as a whole benefit from people’s life-long learning. This happens best when societies are inclusive, when people are allowed to take risks and fail and try again.’

The keynote speech was followed by a panel discussion with Aino Bergius, CEO of Slush, Suzanne Innes-Stubb, Executive in Residence at the School of Business, Siamäk Naghian, CEO of Genelec, and Sanna Suvanto-Harsaae, Chair of the Board of Finnair, Posti and BoConcept, among others. The discussion was moderated by Professor Hannu Seristö. The theme of the discussion was "International Finland in 2030?".

The panelists said that Finland's education system is excellent, and we have skilled people, but their skills should be put to better use. We need more speed and agility. Finland also needs talent, customers and capital from abroad and for this we need to learn more about multiculturalism, inclusiveness and networking. Teams of diverse people are the key to success, but such diverse teams need good leadership to deliver the benefits that are available. 

The main seminar was followed by parallel sessions, where professors from different departments of the School of Business had prepared a session related to the theme and invited guests from business and government. There were inspiring discussions, interviews and presentations covering the contents of all six departments.

Tiina Alahuhta-Kasko is the Alum of the Year 2024

After the parallel sessions organised by the departments, the participants gathered together again to hear the news from the School of Business, shared by Dean Timo Korkeamäki.

‘At this point of the day, I have switched to the new hoodie of the School of Business, which I am testing here along with the KY board. Please let us know what you think of them. In case a dollar-green hoodie interests you, they will come available in a near future,’ he said.

The Dean said that the strategic focus areas of the School of Business for the 4-year strategic period 2025–2028 are academic excellence, internationality, and sustainability. ‘We will work on these together with our faculty, staff and other stakeholders. On the research side, I would like to highlight that our researchers published a record 26 articles in prestigious FT50 journals last year. This is a fantastic achievement.’

‘I will also mention that we have “A! Sign of Change!” fundraising campaign going on at Aalto. At the School of Business, we educate future leaders and business professionals. Our strong focus on quality requires us to make continuous investments in high quality research and education. Donations to our campaign can be viewed as investments in the future of our country. Thank you!’

After the school news, the Dean announced the School of Business's Alum of the Year 2024, which was an easy choice according to the Dean. Tiina Alahuhta-Kasko, CEO of Marimekko, was chosen as the Alum of the Year, who thanked for the honour and said it meant a lot to her.

The new Alum of the Year said that she appreciates the education she received at the School of Business. ‘At Kauppis (School of Business), everyone could create their own path, we were encouraged to follow and go towards our own interests. My own path led me to Marimekko, where I started as a summer trainee. I enjoyed excellent teaching at Kauppis and was well prepared for the transition to working life. Today, Aalto University offers a great interdisciplinary platform from which to learn in a wide range of fields. In working life, too, we are constantly learning new things, and we must have the courage to learn and adapt to new things and structures.’

At the end of the seminar, Timo Korkeamäki thanked the External Relations Unit of the School of Business for organising the day. ‘Thank you Jonna (Söderholm), Anni (Enkkelä), Emilia (Nevalainen) and the whole team for organising the event. All I had do was to come and enjoy it.’ 

The Homecoming Day continued with dinner, music by the Boston Promenade Big Band, dancing and an enjoyable evening with fellow alumni and friends at the School of Business at Ekonominaukio 1.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Homecoming Day! See you again at future Aalto alumni events!

Text: Terhi Ollikainen